Wilmington, NC News

Archive for June, 2012

Wilmington, NC (WWAY) — A local mom makes it her mission to educate expecting parents and doctors about the dangers of birth injuries. After a painful, physically damaging birth experience when having her first child the experience is one she doesn’t want other women to face.

Jessica Gann’s son, Jacob, suffered Shoulder Dystocia during deliver, a Brachial Plexus Injury. If these words sound big and unfamiliar, it’s because they are. People rarely discuss the possibility of these birth injuries until its too late.

See her interview to learn what questions you should ask doctors while pregnant. Then, if you’re interested you can sign the petition she’s pushing to raise awareness about Brachial Plexus Injury

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As six people involved in the murder of Chinese delivery driver Zhen Bo Liu await trial, his family is left wondering how this could happen.

Monday, WWAY met with his widow, Yin Mei Fu, who flew from China, and his son, Yu Ziu, and daughter-in-law who traveled from Canada. They say Zhen had planned to move back home in a few months.

“I try not to think at that moment what happened to him. I really can’t imagine somebody so cold blooded,” daughter-in-law Wei Wei Liu, who spoke on behalf of his widow and son.

60-year-old Zhen Bo Liu had moved to Wilmington five years ago. He was working to save up enough money to retire with his wife in China. His family says he only had a few months left.

“He already mailed his stuff back home. His clothes and a lot of stuff and he said he would enjoy retirement after,” Wei Wei Liu said.

Liu died on the job delivering an order for China King. After shooting Liu twice, police say his suspected killers sat down to eat the $48 meal just a short distance away from where police found his body slumped in a car.

Investigators say Mustafaa Friend, 15, shot Liu in the foot and Cornell Dwayne Haugabook Jr., 20, shot him in the face. Both are charged with murder.

As they plan to take Liu’s body back home, his widow hopes to see justice brought to those involved.

“We wanted to know what happened to his killers,” Wei Wei said. “We want to see them deserve what they did.”

As the three deal with funeral arrangements in Wilmington, the rest of Liu’s family in China still has no idea what happened.

“We haven’t really told them we saw his body yet, but they are still praying for him,” Wei Wei said. “They are still hoping it’s not him. Hopefully he can rest in peace.”

The family is setting up a trust fund for his widow to offset funeral and travel expenses. Donations can be mailed or delivered to the offices of Alley Register McEachern at 701 N. 4th Street in Wilmington, or at any local Wells Fargo branch. Any checks should be made payable to “Alley Register McEachern Trust Account FBO Zhen Bo Liu.”

There are funeral expenses and unexpected travel expenses that are expected to amount to about $10,000, which the family hopes to offset by donations.

The city says it recently refinanced four bonds, combining them into one 30-year bond. Because of the city’s AA+ bond rating, which is similar to a credit rating, the bonds could be refinanced at a much lower interest rate, saving the city almost $2 million over the first six years of the loan. Several factors determine bond ratings, such as financial health and stability and the amount in the city’s fund balance, which is like a savings account, the city says.

Like most city governments, Wilmington issues bonds to pay for and maintain facilities such as parking decks, police headquarters and fire stations. The projects are paid back over time, like a homeowner pays a monthly mortgage.

The city says bonds are the only way the city can afford to pay for these types of projects that cost millions of dollars without large, sudden tax increases.

According to the NC Department of the Treasurer, Wilmington’s amount of debt is low-to-average as compared to other cities in the state with populations over 100,000, the city says.

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) — A Charlotte man has been sentenced to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend and her son more than three years ago.

Fifty-year-old Scott Davis pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Davis also pleaded guilty to attempted murder for shooting and wounding the woman’s daughter.